SoDa: a project for the integration and exploitation of networked solar radiation databases

International audience; The project SoDa (solar data) answers the needs of industry and research for information on solar radiation parameters with a satisfactory quality. The methodology is user-driven with a large involvement of users in the project, who gauge the progresses and achievements. A prototype service has been developed, using Internet technology, that integrates and efficiently exploits diverse networked information sources to supply value-added information. Access to data and applications has been greatly improved; efforts were made on interpolation methods and satellite data processing to achieve better quality and increase time and space coverage of the information. Applications were developed or networked to supply information actually needed by customers, and not only raw data.